NCOP decides on amendments to Bela Bill

The National Council of Provinces Select Committee on Education and Technology has amended the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill by removing the powers of the head of department to determine the language policy of a school.In new amendments tabled on Wednesday, the committee has proposed that the School Governing Body (SGB) must have powers to decide the language policy of a public school.Parliament’s legal adviser Phumelele Ngema said the proposal followed discussions in the committee. Ngema stated Clause 5 of the Bill was one of the contentious provisions before the…